Abstract
The liver is essential for the regulation of energy, protein and amino acids, as well as in other aspects of metabolism. To identify efficient indexes for evaluation of nutritional status and metabolic characteristics during different Child-Pugh stages of hepatitis B cirrhosis, 83 patients and 35 healthy individuals were enrolled in our study. We found that grip strength, triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), body fat and skeletal muscle of the patients were reduced compared to the control group (P<0.05). Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography data combined with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) showed that levels of a variety of metabolites, including lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPCs), glycerophosphocholine, ornithine and glucuronic acid were reduced in the serum of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis (P<0.001). However, glycerophosphoserine and taurocholic acid levels were higher than in the control group (P<0.001). Moreover, grip strength was correlated with the Child-Pugh score (P<0.05). Serum albumin, total cholesterol, LDL, LysoPCs, glycerophosphocholine, ornithine, glucuronic acid, glycerophosphoserine and taurocholic acid were correlated with the Child-Pugh score (P<0.01). These findings suggested that grip strength and the above small molecular substances might be considered as sensitive and important indexes for evaluating nutritional status and metabolic characteristics of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, which may help assess prognosis and adjust nutritional treatment.